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R L5 screw pressing on nerve

She's b-a-c-k! I have surgery scheduled on Feb 27th with Dr. Bob Hart at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. My R leg burning pain started over a year ago. Initially, I thought that I had a sunburn on my leg. Then my R foot and lateral thigh started to burn. I use lidocaine 5% patches on burning areas. I saw my Physiatrist who ordered a lumbar CT and an anesthetic/steroid inj along the R L5. Instant temporary pain relief. Repeat inj 4 months later also temporarily relieved the burning pain. The burning pain follows the L5 dermatome.
Dr. Hart said that it would be a one hour surgery and that I would be in the hospital for a couple of days. My R foot is numb by the end of the day, so I hope that symptom goes away with surgery.
Susan
As an update, I use crutches for shorter distances and a wheelchair for longer distances.

I hate it when you come back this way Susan. The good news is that its one screw.

Pretty soon you can ditch the crutches and the wheelchair when we get our personal drones....

We can fly back home after our surgeries....

Ed

You are so-o-o funny Ed! What's one L5 screw among friends? I have worked hard to progress from total paraplegic to walking partial para. I am excited at the possibility that I might decrease my R leg pain, but nervous about the possibility of a bad outcome.
Susan

I have worked hard to progress from total paraplegic to walking partial para.

Susan, I was wondering about this, and I didn't want to ask, but knew. Your situation is something that every scoliosis patient thinks about at some point or another....I can imagine your strength in having to deal with all of this. Many people have no idea what it takes mentally to forge paths of this magnitude.....its commendable.

I think things will be ok.....you have been through the ringer with major major spine surgeries, this one will be an easy one.

If you feel up to it, ask Dr Hart about "cortical screws or cortical trajectory".....(vs pedicle screws). I was reading about this a few months ago, its an option in the osteoporotic spine. They drive these screws in from a different point, and they don't cross them in a triangle shape. It offers hope for scolis with osteoporotic bone..... I wanted to mention this someplace since people do get rejected for surgery due to osteoporosis.

Check out the Medicare financials near the end....OMG! Shots and Chiro are expensive......don't let the Donald find out about this, he will flip out. (smiley face)

Hi Susan,
Sorry to hear of yet another problem and the pain that youíre having!! I can understand why youíre a little apprehensive about yet another surgery, even though itís only an hour long. Iím sure all will be fine. I was glad to hear youíve come so far with your paralysis. You are an amazing lady!! Keep us posted and know Iím thinking of you!! Warmly, Linda

Thanks Linda and Ed for your comments. Revision surgery is a slippery slope. The more surgery that you have, the more adhesions or nerve damage are possibilities. Also, the degeneration in my thoracic and lumbar vertebrae are now affecting my cervical vertebrae. Yikes! I am hoping that I can continue without more surgery. I had numerous cervical injections with Xylocaine and steroid and have a medial branch block scheduled. I have a great physiatrist who can see the relationship of bone, nerves, and muscles and has ideas on what might help. The last 2 physiatrists that I went to basically said, "Live with it, we don't know what is causing your problem".
I am the poster woman for post-op problems: total ventral/incisional hernia, spinal cord injury, instrumentation infection, and pulmonary embolism. Since I broke 4 rods, my surgeon rigged 5 rods that support each other.
Despite all that has happened and my subsequent disability ( I use crutches and a wheelchair) I am happy that I have a great spine surgeon who has "put Susan back together again".
Life is a balancing of risk and benefit. I am in a better place than I was before my first surgery.
Susan

Thanks Spinals, today is my 10 yr posterior anniversary! My rusty old bolts are 10 today.....Just kidding on the rusty, crusty is probably a better word....Ahhh....you gotta have some fun with it all....

It had to happen.....and I too, am in a better place.

I do write many posts that don't make it on here because I change my mind. I do believe that the neck is tied in on the whole package, and it does not have to have scoliosis or any abnormal curvature to be affected. I don't know if one can call it adjacent level disease, but it is affected. It makes me wonder if adjacent level disease is not just about the immediate level above or below a fusion mass. It seems to affect many levels above and below. The whole spine is a package deal top top to bottom. Once you are operated on, there is that chance that other levels can be affected in one way or another at some point in time.....The spine arena is just too complicated. It's something that we need to understand.

Linda (Babyboomer16) had a incredible stacked cervical fusion done a while back. I believe from C2 Down.....I was saying "wow" for days after that one. For the neck, I cant imagine what that must have felt like.

We all wonder about everyone else's surgeries.....I guess, its a form of solace for us because most of us do have improvement. The older or elder scoliosis testimonials will have more validity since they have experienced a vast amount of ever changing pains and feelings which chalks up to experience. These little tidbits become highly valuable to other scoliosis patients....

Its a shame that the SSO British forum went down... there was a whole host of valuable threads and posts written by many experienced members. I really miss it....and we used to have so much fun! Mark, where are you? miss your posts, hope things are well....

One-of-Two will be at the 10 year mark also in March. It seems like a lifetime ago. Two-of-Two will reach 10 years in October of 2019. This surgery let them continue their life. Without it, they would be dead or unable to get around.

I agree the long-term testimonials are so valuable. I am so glad you and others stick around here. :-)

Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

No island of sanity.

Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?Answer: Medicine

Sharon, I remember One of Two was right after me, and Two of Two was a year or Two later. If they are together, would that make them Two by Two?.....(Edith Bunker stare, with one eye slightly crossed) Good thing you didn't have triplets, that could get complicated.....Ha ha

Spinals, 34 years is a long time.....Back in 1984, my body was hard from all the physical activities, mainly skiing. My 20's were a period where I ignored my scoliosis because I was having too much fun. Those were the days! But I did start seeing a Chiropractor beginning in 1986 so I guess I was having some pain. The CD system was just introduced back then in the US, in February of 1986 if my memory is correct, the first use of pedicle screws in the US. New technology can be a scary thing.....

Surface engineering in metals is an incredibly deep subject matter. Sometimes I have to use microscopes to inspect and see all sorts of things depending on various processes.... Use it in the human body and it changes all the parameters, some unknown. Biofilm's form quickly on our hardware after our surgeries and it affects surrounding soft tissues. The people in the hardware industry are constantly innovating with new coatings and such....Rusty, crusty is probably not too far off, I'm sure that would get a knowing chuckle out of people that work in that field.

But where would be without our hardware?.....All systems have served their purpose in their own archaic way. In 50 to 100 years, they will be talking about us. "Can you imagine what these poor people went through with the extreme surgeries?" Screws, rods, cords, plates, plastic's.... Our innovators need to think decades ahead, and think outside the box.

The answers are there for the taking....The challenge is finding those answers.